Saturday, January 8, 2011

Seeking Recommendations

I was lucky enough to receive as a Christmas gift a gift card for the local art supply store. (Okay, so maybe it wasn't all luck since I asked for it, but I was lucky that someone actually followed through on my request!)

I need to replenish some of my standard supplies, but I should also have enough money to pick up some new materials to experiment with. I am looking for recommendations from my fellow artists to help me choose between all the options.

There are two things in particular that I want your opinions on.

1) Paper for Charcoal Drawings - I currently use Rives BFK paper for my charcoals, but I'd like to try another paper. In particular I'm looking for a paper that allows me to easily achieve subtle value changes. I'd also like a paper which is easy to tone since I typically start my charcoal pieces by laying down a consistent mid-value tone.

What papers do you like working on when you use charcoals or pastels?

2) Watercolor Sketchbook - I have been doing more sketching with watercolors lately. Last year I finished up a small Canson book and now I am about half-way through my Moleskine watercolor book. I actually like the Moleskine paper and will probably buy another of these, but I would also like to try a new watercolor sketchbook.

What is your favorite sketchbook for using watercolors or other liquid mediums?

If you feel strongly about any of your materials and want to share the love, I'm listening. After all, there is always Christmas next year once this gift card is done.

Thanks for your input! I can't wait to go shopping!
-------------------------------------------------------For the record, I am not in any way being compensated by the companies above or by Dick Blick (the links I provided). This is just the stuff I regularly use.

5 comments:

I haven't used charcoal in a very long time but when I did I liked Rives too. And Stonehenge - have you tried that? For pastels I like a sanded paper which may not be at all what you are after.

For watercolor sketchbooks the moleskine is my favorite too, of store bought books. I make my own now though and like Canson Edition paper for those. Many of my favorite watercolor sketch artists use Arches wc papers in their sketchbooks though.

My favorite supplies? Besides colored pencils I really like my water brushes for watercolor sketching. Watercolor pencils are fun and so are neocolor II watersoluble crayons.

Thanks for commenting on my blog, Stacy! I've just looked at your blogs and look forward to following them as well. It's very interesting to me to see your sketches as well as your lovely finished pieces, as we have similar taste in our choice of subjects. And it's always interesting hearing about what art supplies other artists are buying - fun!

Thanks Ann! It sounds like we use many of the same materials. I use Arches for my studio watercolors, but I don't know about making my own sketchbooks. That sounds like it might be outside of my abilities. :) I may have to pick up some watersoluble crayons though. They sound fun!

Robyn, I agree that the Rives paper is beautiful, although I've only ever used it for charcoal drawings. If I ever make it to Italy, I'll have to squeeze some into my suitcase for you.

Sarah, thanks so much for stopping by! I did notice that we had similar taste in subjects. In fact I have a bowl of large pine cones in my family room that may make it into my sketchbook soon. :)

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About Me

Art is one of the ways that I slow down and appreciate life. It gives me an excuse to stop and smell the roses. I am inspired by the beauty I see everyday and enjoy finding a bit of happy to share with the world. I hope my art allows the viewer to pause and feel the beauty, fun and joy in life, because who doesn't deserve more of that? I work mostly with watercolors, graphite and charcoal, but I also like to explore other drawing media.
The copyright of all artwork and photographs posted here belongs to me unless otherwise stated.